Cheapest way to get cards?
General forum
Posted on June 8, 2011, 3:47 p.m. by TowerOfBad
Typically, what is cheapest per card?
Fat Packs, Booster boxes, something else?
NoSkillManiac says... #3
The interwebs is the cheapest if your looking for something specific.
June 8, 2011 6:27 p.m.
TowerOfBad says... #4
I want just about everything in the new set, so it seems to make more sense to buy bulk.
What about those "play sets", do they stack up well in price comparison?
June 8, 2011 6:53 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
If you mean the "1-of-each in the set" collections, I wouldn't invest in them. I tend to trade more often than buy, because it helps move cards I don't want rather than spending more money. I also live near a card shop that sells bulk commons.
Some websites sell playsets of individual cards for a discount compared to the sum of their values. I tend to go for those if I need the whole playset.
June 8, 2011 8:22 p.m.
For sets that have 150-200 cards, you should just purchase about 3-4 boxes, and for the mythics, just trade up your excess sets of rares.
For bigger sets, you would be better off getting a case (6 boxes) and hope to hit all you need. (getting 2 of each mythics is also good :) )
Lets look at the pro's and con's.
Depending on where you get the boxes, you could end up paying about 480-600 for a case. This won't garentee you getting a playset of Mythic Rares, but should at least put you in good stead of getting trade material necessary to be able to build up your playsets.
Usually a trade binder can go for about $150 more than a case (maybe more depending on what the set has to offer), and whilst this will get you your complete set, you won't have any spare stuff to be able to utilise in random decks/trades.
The key for collecting sets is to have a strong community. If you don't have it, then maybe the gamble won't be worth cracking a case. Also, the fun bit of cracking a box, is that you can have fun drafting.
Negative of Case purchasing is that there will be some time spent sorting and getting a folder together :)
For Purchase of a Complete Playset
You get to be lazy and pay some extra money to have the hassle free binder of all the set in your hands.
The major downside of this is that you don't get your spare commons and uncommons, you don't get the joy of cracking packs, and you don't get to have fun drafting.
Another factor of purchasing a complete playset is the price. It will fluctuate depending on availability, and how much "In demand" cards are in that perticular set. The prices are set by the secondary Market and as such they will usually be in the market to make as much as possible out of the sale.
Hope this helps you to decide which way to go if any.
My personal way of going about it.
1x or 2x boxes when the set comes out, then attend draft events (usually once a week) and just trade for stuff I'm desperate for.
June 8, 2011 8:28 p.m.
emblasochist says... #7
Fat Packs are almost always the worst option in trying to expand a collection. There are a few reasons to get fat packs over individual booster packs, but barring them, Fat Packs are less economical for cards than buying single packs.
The two reasons to get a fat pack; you really want the spindown life counters that come in the fat packs or the visual spoilers of all the cards in the set that comes in all new fat packs.
Fat packs currently come with 8-9 packs at the cost of $39.99 where I live, and with packs averaging $3.99 here, you still get at least one more pack for the same money by buying individual packs. Also, in my experience, you tend to pull more mythics in individual packs than you do in fat packs. I've got an average of 1 mythic in 4 or 5 individual packs, and average less than one mythic per fat pack. YMMV, however, so, if fat packs aren't a ripoff where you live, it might be an option if booster boxes/cases aren't an option, but even then, you probably only one one fat pack; the stuff bundled in them rarely does anyone find a use for more than one of.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Generally, the more bulk the more value. A booster box is a better deal than a fat pack. I find that individual packs are usually better than fat packs though.
The trade-off is that the better value per pack is counterbalanced with a higher total cost. I will usually buy a booster box of a new set, then occasionally individual packs to supplement it.
Also, winning FNM events is a great way to get more cards.
June 8, 2011 4:09 p.m.